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July 2000
Volume 64 |
Number 7
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| What a Bay to
Spend a Week! |
When you get to San Francisco this October for the ASA Annual
Meeting, make sure to remember that you have business to
attend to. Recent statistics have shown that 30 percent of all
visitors who come to San Francisco do so to attend a meeting and/or
convention, and 25 percent are there on individual business. However,
the majority of folks (44 percent) visit San Francisco to get
away from work, and there's seemingly no better place to do
it than here. So if entertainment is a business, San Francisco
is quite possibly the business capital of the world.
The San Francisco Bay is spanned by two awe-inspiring landmarks:
the Golden Gate and the San Francisco-Oakland Bay bridges. Certainly
the Golden Gate is the most famous bridge in the world and, despite
the fact that it has changed little in over 60 years, it seems
impossible that anyone could get tired of seeing it. To the east
of the Golden Gate Bridge spans the San Francisco-Oakland Bay
Bridge, which holds the title of world's longest high-level bridge
and was declared the seventh wonder of the world by the American
Society of Civil Engineers in 1955.
San Franciscan's have made getting over the water exhilarating,
but there are also many things to do in the water. The four nearby
islands Alcatraz, Angel, Yerba Buena and Treasure
are tourist meccas. Notorious Alcatraz Island (a.k.a., The Rock)
has served as a military prison, an army disciplinary barracks,
federal penitentiary and an American Indian stronghold. The island
is now populated primarily by a constant ebb and flow of curious
tourists looking to see where Al Capone and other infamous criminals
were detained. A park guard can help the more adventurous personally
experience what it was like to be "deep sixed" in solitary confinement.
The Bay's largest island, Angel Island, offers breathtaking views
of the city and the Bay, but has a similarly checkered past.
Although San Francisco offers many manmade wonders, one of its
greatest assets is its diverse populace. The city's Chinatown
is one of the largest outside Asia, and it should not be missed.
This "city-within-a-city" is best explored on foot, as its 24
blocks of frenetic energy are lined with countless shops, renowned
restaurants, food markets, temples and small museums. North Beach
offers an authentic taste of the Mediterranean. Here, San Francisco's
Italian heritage comes alive with cabarets, jazz clubs, galleries,
inns, and, of course, restaurants. The celebration is ceaseless
in North Beach at night, and you will be amazed that so much action,
culture and romance could be comfortably compacted into less that
one square mile.
Of course Spanish influences have been predominant in the area
since 1776, when Spanish officer Juan Bautista de Anza founded
a village in what is today San Francisco. The Mission Dolores,
founded by Spanish padres, is a popular tourist site that celebrates
the importance of Spanish influence in San Francisco's vibrant
culture. It is the oldest structure in the city. Colorful murals
abound in the predominantly Hispanic Mission District, detailing
the prominent role that Spanish-speaking people have played in
the city's history.
One of the most alluring aspects of San Francisco is simply
its geographic layout. Since San Francisco is built on a series
of more than 40 hills, excellent views of the Bay are available
practically from any point in the city. Nob, Russian, Telegraph
and Rincon hills are the most famous, and there is much for the
tourist to do near or on all of them. Nob Hill perhaps offers
the most impressive view of the Bay, especially when one is observing
it from the cable cars that run along the hill's streets.
You will have a magnificent view from any vantage point at world-famous
Fisherman's Wharf. This carnival of food, entertainment and history
is by far the most popular tourist destination in San Francisco;
87 percent of the city's visitors include Fisherman's Wharf on
their itinerary. And there is more than enough food and fun for
everybody. Marketplaces on Fisherman's Wharf such as PIER 39,
The Cannery and Ghirardelli Square offer enough to see and do
if they were not located on the Wharf. PIER 39 has become famous
for its playful visiting seals, and Ghirardelli offers a history
of the city through guided tours of its famous chocolate factory.
"Fish Alley," the working hub of the Wharf, offers almost every
imaginable seafood, fresh from the water.
Seafood might be a specialty in San Francisco, but food in general
is a way of life here. "Everybody's Favorite City" contains more
restaurants per capita than any other city in the United States.
From casual to elegant, San Francisco is home to some of the best
cuisine in the world. But San Francisco is far from pretentious
about its lofty status concerning the palette; it is also the
birthplace of the martini, the Mai Tai and Irish Coffee. And there
is a reason so many now-famous drinks have been introduced in
San Francisco: The nightlife is unparalleled. From trendy dance
clubs and casual bars to a world-class symphony and opera, the
city's nightlife will keep you up until the fog rolls in again.
Maybe more so than any other American city, San Francisco has
managed to blend practical business sense with an alluring romanticism.
Business meetings and conventions tend to shatter records when
held here. But statistics show that when the business is taken
care of, the fun begins. In a 1999 poll, readers of Conde Nast
Traveler magazine rated San Francisco "Best City in the United
States." The city also scored higher than Paris, Rome, Florence,
Venice and London.
The writer William Saroyan had this to say about "Everyone's
Favorite City:" "If you're alive, you can't be bored in San Francisco.
If you're not alive, San Francisco will bring you to life." San
Francisco seems to have a way of making people shirk their responsibilities,
of reminding them that life is not all about work. So when you
attend the Annual Meeting this fall, remember, there will be a
lot of "business" to attend to.
San Francisco Facts:
- Almost 10 million passengers ride San Francisco's National
Historic Landmark cable cars each year.
- Over 70,000 miles of wire make up the cables that support
the Golden Gate Bridge.
- When polled, San Francisco visitors cited "People/Diversity"
as their favorite aspect of the city.
- More than 96 percent of visitors expressed a desire
to return.
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